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Tribes: Ascend 'initial focus' is PC

Tribes: Ascend's "first initial focus is the PC," developer Hi-Rez has revealed. The free-to-play revival of the beloved shooter series is also hitting XBLA, but Hi-Rez says consoles lag in supporting F2P games.

While some Tribes diehards are wary of Hi-Rez studios' revival of the classic multiplayer shooter series as a free-to-play game, the developer, also responsible for Global Agenda, is selling it well. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, studio co-founder and COO Todd Harris has explained that Tribes: Ascend is focusing on the birthplace of the franchise: the PC.

"I will say that our first initial focus is the PC as far as what we're developing on, testing on, and as far as availability we're focused first on the PC," he said. "One; because that's where people associate the franchise, that was its home, and two; because we do want to be able to deliver updates for it, and as we were saying we think that's the strongest platform for it right now."

Console certification processes add a speed-bump to game updates, which are doubly important to keep flowing when players don't feel tethered to a game by a subscription fee. In general, Harris said, consoles are poorer hosts for games with free-to-play and other alternate business models. However, he said "it feels like there's no reason" the home consoles couldn't catch up. The PlayStation 3 already has a few free-to-play MMOs, such as Free Realms and PlayStation Home, and the Xbox 360 is rumoured to be entering the field.